Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/585738
8 Oil Prophets PRESIDENT'S PERSPECTIVE Sometimes we deal with things so often that what we believe should be obvious to everyone is actually unknown to many. This reality hit me between the eyes last week at a P&CMA Board meeting where many board members were unaware of how our relationship with the Petroleum Marketers Association of America (PMAA) actually worked. It became clear to me that if I needed to explain it to some of them, chances were good I needed to explain it to some of you as well. PMAA is a federation of 47 state associations representing more than 8,000 petroleum marketers nationwide. P&CMA pays dues annually to PMAA on behalf of our active members, and therefore, each of our active members are automatically members of PMAA. This is unlike other national associations like SIGMA or NACS where each individual company pays dues directly to the national group. In 2015 our dues to PMAA were $32,000. If you divide this by the number of members in our "active" member classification (237) it means that we remit $135 of each "active" member's annual dues to PMAA. By joining P&CMA you automatically receive membership in the national association. No extra dues required! PMAA holds two meetings per year that are of importance to marketers. First and foremost, every spring PMAA hosts a "Day on the Hill" event in Washington, DC. Marketers from across the country come to Washington and personally meet with their members of Congress to highlight issues of importance to our industry. This past spring P&CMA members met with four of our seven Congressmen/Congresswomen and one of two Senators. PMAA's second annual meeting takes place in conjunction with the NACS trade show in the fall of the year. PMAA has a strong Governmental Affairs program. In addition to lobbying members of Congress, PMAA continually works to represent petroleum marketers before the federal regulatory agencies and provides marketers with important updates when federal regulations are implemented and updated or when a deadline is approaching. PMAA also operates a federal Political Action Committee (PAC) which supports congressional candidates who support our industry. At P&CMA's General Membership Meeting in December we'll be holding a silent auction to raise money for PMAA's Federal PAC. Earlier this year I was asked to serve as a member of PMAA's Strategic Plan Task Force. This group will hold our first meeting in October. I look forward to working with jobbers and other association executives from across the country as we study PMAA's long range plan and how to best position the association for continued success. Most of our long-time members know PMAA. Many of our newer members may not. I would encourage you to become more familiar with PMAA and what they do for your business at the federal level. I am convinced you will agree that your "two-for- one" membership in P&CMA and PMAA provides your company with tremendous benefits. Sincerely, J. Bart Fletcher, CAE P&CMA President Membership in P&CMA & PMAA: Tremendous Benefits J. Bart Fletcher, CAE P&CMA President